I wound up with this cute little shorty full stock in 308, that in truth would make a dandy deer rifle if it would shoot less than a 3" group. only load I've found that would shoot about inch-and-a-half is a 150gr RN.. might as well use a M94...here's what I'm trying. .025 inch shims under receiver flat behind angled guard screw and under tang guard screw.. floats the barrel.. front steel nose cap is not tight against barrel..floats there too.. I'm gonna try some more loads.. got lottsa BLC 2.. and all kinds of 30 cal bullets.. every weight.. any suggestions??? thanks Les

I had a 77 that shot right at an inch (+/-) with 150 Sierra SBT Gamekings and BLC2, 47-48.5 grs., and Federal match primers.

Les, it is a pain in the butt, but you may want to move pressure points around. Cut a shim, and starting at the muzzle, move it back after each group, to see where the barrel wants pressure. Eventually, it should drop in group size. Then you pressure bed at that point. Full stocks are, ahem... finicky.
That's why we get the big bucks.

Ummm, move the target a lot closer to the bench???

Sorry, my bad...

Just couldn't resist.....

If they don't shoot well, they are a pain to change that...

Hey Les,

What scope are you using? Is there any difference if you place the forward sandbad just past the floor plate? You might try 48gns. of 4064. It's a load that shoots great in three that I know of.

The easiest way to make it shoot accurately is to trade it for a CZ550FS.

The 77RSI suffers from two problems. First, they used the Ultralight barrel, which heats up quickly. You will have better luck if you wait 10 minutes between shots.

Second, they used the toothpick style stock with production grade inletting. It gives no stability and allows for uneven pressure.

They're nice to carry and show your friends, though.

Occasionally one gets through production that actually shoot pretty well. Luck of the draw.

The original Mannlicher-Schoenauers were accurate because they used heavier barrels, with hand inletted stocks.

The CZ550FS is accurate because they use both heavy barrels and sturdy full length stocks. Very stable.

Okay, guys... next question..as I cracked the stock behind the tang this morning.. WHERE IN HELL will I find a new stock for this little POS??? Thanks for all the suggestions.. Les.

I can't help you on the stock other than send it back to Ruger. Possibly a bit of epoxy and judicious pinning of the wood might work, depending on the split. Ruger won't sell you a stock unless you send the rifle to them, day to say.
Regarding the accuracy problem though, this is what has worked for me. I've pased this along to others who have had difficulties with the RSI in .308 and they've all said that it worked just fine.
The first thing we need to acknowledge is the gun is no target rifle. Once we agree on that, then it's time to start playing around with it.
naturally we always check the scope screws and mounts as that's a given. The stock screws should be as follows. The front angled screw should be quite tight, the rear screw titht, but not quite as tight as the front one. Might have to play a bit with both to find the sweet spot there. The metal cap at the muzzle should be relieved a bit to insure it does not touch the barrel.
Now we come to loads that should work. First off, I have three RSI rifles chambered to the .308 Win. and the following works in all three, or doesn't work as mentioned.
None of the three rifles will shoot a 180 gr. Spitzer bullet worth crap unless you like 4.5 to 5.0" groups. I've had those rifles for over ten years now and I still have not found a load that will shoot those bullets.
Your experience with 150 gr. bullets mitrrors mine with all three rifles averaging 3.0 to 3.5" with 150 gr. spitzers. That's the bad news. However, there is some good news. I have two loads that work just fine in all three rifles. Those people who I suggested them too have also said they got usable results, some mirroring mine, some a bit better and a few not quite as good, but still usable compared to what they had been getting.
The first load is 49.0 gr. of W-760 with the 165 gr. Speer Hot-Core bullet using Winchester brass and WLR primer. Depending on which of the thre rifles I'm shooting, groups with that load run from 1.25" to 1.50", certainly more than accurate enough for most hunting.Velocity from the RSI's 18.5" barrel is 2550 FPS average and that load has taken Mule Deer at ranges running from 35 feet to 250 yards, all one shot kills. That same load BTW does 2610 FPS from a 22" barrel, FWIW.
The other load is 48.0 gr. of W-760 under a 180 gr. Sierra round nose bullet, same brass and primer. Accuracy, again depending on which rifle I'm using ranges from .75" to 1.0", velocity unknown as I haven't chronographed the load. Guess I should sometime down the road. It just might be better than I think.
Paul B.

Check E-BAy often. A lot of folks ditch the RSI full stock when they won't shoot tight little groups.

The factory has them as well. A MKII stock can be modified to fit the MKI, if needed.

Thanks guys.. I'll try the loads listed when I get it back on line.. meanwhile, ordered a Ramline synthetic for R77 SA tang safety.. will try that while I either fix this one or locate another... thanks for the tip on E-bay.. I'll also try some other gun auction sites.. Les

take a business card, fold it a couple times, remove stock from action, place card about 2" back from end of stock/barrel, tighten screws


make a pressure point...

or, send it to me, I'll rebarrel to 416 AR, and you can have a short stiff tube on it

jeffe

Before I did anything to the stock, I'd call Ruger and see if they would replace it under warrenty. Once you've done anything to the stock, I doubt that Ruger will feel any obligation to do anything for you.

I have several Ruger 77 RSIs. None have been great shooters, most have been 2 MOA shooters, and 1 (only 1) was a true dog. I understand that the barrels on the 77 MK2s tend to be better shooters than the tang safety 77s.

In general, I find that installing a neoprene "O"ring around the barrel where it touches the end cap will usually help improve accuracy. I use the "O"ring "trick" whenever I need a quick fix to a stock that doesn't allow the barrel to float free. Although the "O"ring will be a contact point, or points, between the barrel and the stock, it is a cushioned contact that helps eliminate the sharp "bounce" from the barrel vibrations.

Also, FWIW, I generally consider the 77 RSI to be more of a stalking rifle than a long range rifle, so a 3 MOA group wouldn't ruin the rifle for me, if I really liked the rifle. I would consider a 3 MOA rifle suitable for deer sized animals out to 200+/- yards.

Jeff

I bought a 77RSI new a few or so years ago and thought it would be a great little rifle for a 308Win. What a disappointment, I could hardly keep 4 shots inside a 5 inch circle at 50 yards! I never altered the rifle in any way but I tried factory ammo and handloaded with different powders and bullets until I just couldn't stand it anymore so I traded it in on a used M77 Standard in 30/06. The 06 is now my daughters rifle and it is a real shooter.

I've only ever owned one completely factory original RSI...also a .308, which still lives here.

Luckily, it is also one of the more accurate factory stock .30 rifles I've EVER had. It will very easily shoot sub-MOA using 40.5 grs. IMR or H 4895 (either one) and just about any make of 168-to-173 grain bullets, either GI or Winchester brass. Usually averages about 3/4 MOA for a day's shooting from the bench, sometimes smaller, almost never larger (heavy emphasis on the ALMOST - grin).

I love the little gun and used it for the shooting portion of the State of Oregon "Master Hunter" qualification test where we were required to put 5 consecutive shots into 5" at 100 yards, either sitting or offhand. I had a good day and put my 5 shots in 2-3/4" offhand with the little Ruger. It was wearing a 1983 vintage Lyman 2-7X scope, set on 5-X.

I can't tell you how to make yours shoot sub-MOA, but do encourage you to keep trying. They are great little guns, if they are shooting well enough to meet your accuracy requirements.

The really poor shooting 77 RSI that I had was a tang safety 243. The funny thing is, I have another 77 RSI 243 that is only 6 digits difference in SN sequence, 78-447x2 and 78-447x8, and other is a pretty good shooter. I even installed the poor shooting barreled action into a 77 R stock, as a means by which to eliminate the mannlicher touch, but I never could get that barrel to shoot. I replace that 243 barrel with a 77 RL barrel in 250-3000 and later had that barrel rebored to .264" and rechambered to 260.

Jeff

Thanks for all the encouragement, guys. I will keep messing with this thing till it's completely broken.. (already on the way).. I did get 150gr round nose to shoot just over an inch.. I'm also conjureing up a plan to resurect the stock.. split from just behind mag well back into wrist.. it's one of those problems that a little epoxy and maybe a nice cross-bolt will cure..meantime, I've got other rifles..I'll keep you all posted on progress or lack thereof... Les

Les, I sent you an e,mail from your post on another forum where you were looking for a stock.

If you are having these kind of problems you should just sell me the rifle for a quater plus shipping.

arky65